Ring for a device for dispensing a fluid product

ABSTRACT

A ring ( 10 ) for arranging around a valve body ( 21 ) of a fluid dispenser valve ( 20 ) that is mounted by means of a fastener capsule ( 50 ), such as a crimpable capsule, on a reservoir ( 1 ) containing fluid to be dispensed, said ring ( 10 ) being made as a single piece including at least one inner portion ( 100, 110 ) that co-operates with said valve body ( 21 ), and a radial flange ( 11 ) that forms a neck gasket that extends between the neck of the reservoir ( 1 ) and the fastener capsule ( 50 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/009,569, filed Oct. 3, 2013, which is a National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/FR2012/050720, filed on Apr. 3, 2012,claiming priority based on French Patent Application No. 1152988 filedApr. 6, 2011, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a ring for a fluid dispenser valve andto a fluid dispenser device including such a ring.

It is known to use rings with aerosol dispenser valves, in particularmetering valves that are mounted on a reservoir containing the fluid tobe dispensed. In particular, such rings are used in valves that aresuitable for use upsidedown, i.e. with the valve arranged below thereservoir while a dose of fluid is being expelled. Such rings generallyfulfill two main functions, namely firstly ensuring that a maximumquantity of the fluid contained inside the reservoir can be dispensed,by limiting the dead volume situated below the inlet of the valve whensaid valve is in its upsidedown working position. Secondly, such ringsalso serve to limit contact between the fluid and the neck gasket thatis generally arranged between the neck of the reservoir and the fastenerhoop or capsule that serves to fasten the valve on the receptacle. Bylimiting contact between the gasket and the fluid contained in thereservoir, the risks of the fluid becoming contaminated by extractablesthat can be leached from said gasket are limited, and also deteriorationof the gasket as a result of its contact with the fluid, in particular apropellant gas, is limited.

In general, the ring is assembled on the valve body by radially clampingan inner edge of the ring onto said valve body. That configurationpresents the drawback that when the radial clamping is too strong, itcan deform the valve body over time, and in particular the inside ofsaid body, and that can cause the valve to malfunction. Numerous valvesprovide a relatively narrow gap between the valve member that slides andthe valve body. Radial deformation of the valve body can thus causefriction and even jamming of said valve member. In addition, in order toperform the two above-mentioned functions effectively, the ring isgenerally in contact, via its outer portion, with a portion of the neckof the reservoir, which contact is not necessarily leaktight contact. Inparticular, when the fastener capsule is a crimpable capsule, thecrimping causes the neck of the reservoir to deform radially, therebyincreasing the radial compression exerted on the ring. Once again, thisincrease in the radial compression transmitted to the inner edge of thering can cause an increase in the stress exerted on the valve body, andcan cause said valve body to deform.

Document WO 2007/074274 describes a ring that includes a deformable wallfor limiting stress on the valve body, and that also makes it possibleto limit contact between the fluid and the neck gasket. The ring makesit possible to solve the above-mentioned problems in part. DocumentsU.S. Pat. No. 5,697,532, FR 2 865 198, and DE 10 2005 002444 describeprior-art devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ring for a fluiddispenser device that does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks, andthat improves the ring of document WO 2007/074274.

More particularly, an object of the present invention is to provide aring for an aerosol dispenser device that avoids any excessive radialstress on the valve body, thereby avoiding any risk of the valve bodydeforming excessively, in particular while the valve is being crimped onthe reservoir.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a ring thatmakes it possible to compensate for dispersion in manufacturingtolerances, without increasing radial stress on the valve body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a ring thatmaximizes the amount of the content of the reservoir that can bedispensed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a ring thatlimits, as much as possible, the interactions with the fluid and thepropellant gas contained in the reservoir.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid dispenserdevice that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to assemble,reducing in particular the number of component parts of the fluiddispenser device.

The present invention thus provides a ring for arranging around a valvebody of a fluid dispenser valve that is mounted by means of a fastenercapsule, such as a crimpable capsule, on a reservoir containing fluid tobe dispensed, said ring being made as a single piece including at leastan inner portion that co-operates with said valve body, and a radialflange that forms a neck gasket that extends between the neck of thereservoir and the fastener capsule, said ring being made of a materialthat includes cyclo olefin copolymer (COC) elastomer.

Advantageously, said ring includes a first radially-inner portion thatco-operates with a portion of the valve body, and a second inner portionthat co-operates with another portion of the valve body.

Advantageously, said first radially-inner portion has a deformable lip.

Advantageously, the contact surface of the lip with the valve body has ashape that is stepped.

Advantageously, said lip includes a peripheral recess that gives it itscapacity to deform.

Advantageously, said ring includes a deformable axial wall that extendstowards the bottom of the reservoir, and that is capable of deformingelastically in a radially-inward direction.

Advantageously, the outer surface of the deformable axial wall issubstantially smooth before fastening the fastener capsule.

Advantageously, said ring includes a plurality of axial recesses thatextend around the periphery of the ring, radially inwards from theneck-gasket-forming radial flange.

Advantageously, said recesses are separated by radial ribs.

Advantageously, below said neck-gasket-forming radial flange, said ringincludes projecting profiles that are distributed around the outerperiphery of said ring, said projecting profiles being separated bygrooves.

Advantageously, said ring is constituted by COC elastomer.

The present invention also provides a fluid dispenser device comprisinga reservoir containing fluid to be dispensed and a propellant gas, inparticular of the hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) type, and an aerosol valve,and including a ring as described above.

Advantageously, said valve body includes at least one opening so as toenable fluid to pass from the reservoir into said valve, said firstradially-inner portion being situated at the bottom edge of saidopening, in the upsidedown working position, with the valve arrangedbelow said reservoir.

These characteristics and advantages and others of the present inventionappear more clearly from the following detailed description of severalembodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, and withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic section view of an aerosol dispenser device inits upsidedown working position, including a ring in an advantageousembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view from above of the FIG. 1 ring;and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic section view of the FIG. 1 ring.

FIG. 4 is a table that compares the level of extractables for COC-E andfor TPE.

With reference more particularly to FIG. 1, the aerosol device includesa reservoir 1 containing the fluid to be dispensed. The fluid may be ofthe pharmaceutical type, and propellant gas, such as a gas of the HFAtype, may be provided for dispensing the fluid through an aerosol valve20, preferably a metering valve. The aerosol valve includes a valve body21 in which a valve member 30 slides. The valve body 21 is assembled onthe neck of the reservoir 1 by means of a fastener capsule 50, inparticular of the crimpable type, with a neck gasket interposedtherebetween for sealing purposes. In FIG. 1, the valve is shown in itsworking position, which is its upsidedown position, i.e. while a dose isbeing expelled, the valve is situated below the reservoir. The valvebody 21 includes one or more openings 22 making it possible to fill thevalve with fluid from the reservoir, in particular by gravity. Theopenings are shown in the form of lateral longitudinal slots 22 thatextend over a portion of the height of the valve body 21. In a variant,one or more openings of different shapes could be provided for thispurpose.

In the invention, a ring 10 is assembled around the valve body 21. Thering 10 is mainly for ensuring that the reservoir is emptied as much aspossible by limiting, as much as possible, the dead volume situatedbelow the bottom edge of the opening(s) 22 of the valve body 21 when thevalve is in its upsidedown working position. The ring 10 includes aradial flange 11 that forms the neck gasket that is interposed betweenthe neck of the reservoir and the fastener capsule 50. The inventionthus makes it possible to eliminate a part, namely the neck gasket,thereby simplifying the manufacture and the assembly of the device.

An advantage of the neck-gasket-forming radial flange 11 is that, afterassembly, the ring 10 cannot slide along the valve body 21, since saidradial flange 11 is held between the neck of the reservoir and thecapsule 50. Optionally, beads could be formed on the top surface (in theposition in FIG. 3) of the neck-gasket-forming radial flange 11, so asto improve the sealing with the capsule 50.

The ring 10 includes at least one first radially-inner portion 100 forco-operating with the valve body 21. The first radially-inner portion100 is preferably the radially-innermost portion of the ring 10. Asecond inner portion 110 may advantageously be provided to co-operatewith another portion of the valve body. This configuration makes itpossible to distribute the radial stress exerted by the ring 10 on thevalve body 21 over two contact zones instead of one, thereby firstlylimiting the radial stress exerted on each of said zones individually,and secondly making it possible to avoid substantially any sliding ofthe ring 10 on the body 21, said ring being clamped against said body attwo distinct locations.

The ring 10 includes a deformable axial wall 12 that is capable ofdeforming elastically in a radially-inward direction. In particular, thepurpose of the deformable wall 12 is to compensate for and to absorb anyradial stress that might be exerted thereon by the reservoir 1, inparticular at the moment when the fastener capsule 50 is being crimpedon, by said wall deforming radially inwards. The deformable wall 12 isprovided on a radially-outer portion of the ring, and extends axiallytowards the bottom of the reservoir. This configuration makes it easierto assemble the ring around the valve body 21. It also makes it possibleto provide the ring with dimensions such that the deformable portion isdeformed only while the capsule 50 is being crimped, and not while thering is being assembled around the valve body, nor while the valve isbeing inserted into the reservoir, since that might cause the ring tomove axially along the valve body. In addition, this specific shape,with the deformable wall 12 arranged radially outwards and pointingtowards the bottom of the reservoir, enables said deformable wall toparticipate in guiding fluid towards the opening(s) 22 of the valve body21. During crimping, contact between the reservoir and the deformablewall 12 is advantageously made in a zone of the deformable wall that iseasily deformed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the zone is situatedtowards the free axial end of said deformable wall 12. The zone could beaxially offset, but preferably it should not be situated right at thestart of the wall where its capacity to deform elastically is small, oreven non-existent.

Another advantage of a deformable wall that is directed towards thebottom of the reservoir is that the neck gasket portion 11 of the ring10 is urged axially or thrust against the capsule after crimping. Afterdeforming, the wall 12 exerts a force having a component that is axialand that is directed towards the neck gasket portion 11. This improvesthe sealing of the gasket. This also improves the fastening of the ring10 on the valve body 21. If the deformable wall were directed in theopposite direction, the ring would, on the contrary, be urged away fromthe gasket once the wall is deformed.

Advantageously, the outside surface of the deformable axial wall portion12 is smooth, preferably mirror-polished, i.e. with a roughness indexthat is less than 1.0, advantageously less than 0.8, and preferablyabout 0.05. This configuration promotes leaktight contact between thereservoir and the ring after crimping.

As a result of the ring 10 including a deformable wall portion 12,deformation of the reservoir 1 is not automatically transmitted to theinner edge(s) 100 and 110 of said ring, and consequently is notautomatically transmitted to the valve body 21. Any risk of the valvebody 21 deforming, that would in turn risk causing the valve to jam ormalfunction, is thus avoided.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the first radially-inner portion 100 comprisesa deformable lip that may advantageously form a substantially leaktightcontact with the valve body 21. More particularly, the contact surface101 of the lip with the valve body 21 may have a shape that is stepped,and a peripheral recess 102 gives it its capacity to deform. Thus,without exerting a high level of radial stress on the valve body, thefirst inner portion 100 of the ring 10 can co-operate in substantiallyleaktight manner with said valve body 21.

In order to avoid shrink marks after molding, the ring 10 advantageouslyincludes a plurality of axial recesses 120 that extend around theperiphery of the ring, radially inwards from the neck-gasket-formingradial flange 11. The recesses 120 are advantageously separated byradial ribs 125, visible in FIG. 2, that provide the necessary stiffnessto the ring.

Below the neck-gasket-forming radial flange 11, the ring 10 may includea plurality of projecting profiles 130 that are distributed around theouter periphery, and that are separated by grooves 131. The profilesmake it possible to improve the assembly of the valve in the reservoir,ensuring centering during insertion into the reservoir. Air orpropellant gas contained inside the reservoir may escape via the grooves131 when the valve is assembled on the reservoir, e.g. for devices thatare partially pre-filled before final assembly of the valve.

The ring 10 is thus formed as a single piece that is to provide sealingas a neck gasket, while being in contact with the fluid contained in thereservoir. The material used to make the ring 10 should thus presentproperties that enable it to provide a sealing function, whilesimultaneously not having harmful interactions with the fluid and/or thepropellant gas contained in the reservoir.

A material that is particularly suitable for making the ring of theinvention is COC elastomer. Advantageously, COC elastomer forms the onlybase material, but it is possible to envisage making a COC elastomeralloy with one or more other materials, in particular those listedbelow.

COC is a copolymer that is formulated with a norbornene ring andpolyethylene. Norbornene comes from synthesizing ethylene and acyclopentadiene. Conventional COC is a material that is substantiallyrigid. COC elastomer is thus a COC with an increased polyethylenecontent, thereby imparting elastomeric properties to said material. COCelastomer is thus not a mixture or an alloy of conventional COC with anelastomer material, but a material as such that presents certainproperties that are similar to elastomers.

COC elastomer is a material having a glass transition temperature lyingin the range −10° C. to 15° C., a crystalline melting point lying in therange 50° C. to 120° C., a crystallinity by weight lying in the range 5%to 40%, and a norbornene content lying in the range 2 mol % to 15 mol %.

The advantages of COC elastomer are numerous.

Firstly, it presents a chemical nature that is very inert since, incontrast to other elastomer materials, it does not include any reactiveopen or available double bond.

COC elastomer also has a very low level of extractables, i.e. very fewparticles known as extractables leach out from gaskets made out of COCelastomer, even when the gaskets are in contact with HFA-type propellantgases that are particularly aggressive. In particular, COC elastomerdoes not present fatty acids as extractables, unlike elastomers andthermoplastic elastomers. Extractables that exist with COC elastomerthus mainly include antioxidants.

FIG. 4 shows that the level of extractables is much less for COC-E thanfor the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that, in this comparative example,comprises a mixture of 50% butyl rubber and 50% polyethylene.

As for elastomer materials, they present levels of extractables that aremuch greater still, such as, for example, nitrile rubber that has alevel of extractables of about 14 milligrams per gram (mg/g), or EPDMthat has a level of extractables that lies in the range 1.4 mg/g to 5.3mg/g.

COC elastomer also presents significant barrier properties against watervapor, and mechanical properties that are entirely suitable for makingvalve gaskets, in particular its hardness and its Young's modulus. Italso presents the ability to withstand abrasion. COC elastomer alsopresents good compatibility with active substances of the pharmaceuticaltype since there is no leaching of ions, no trace metals, it includeshydrophobic surfaces so that there is less absorption, and finally itcan be designed easily, i.e. it is easy to make parts of any shape fromthis material.

By way of example and in non-limiting manner, the COC-E X1 T6 productsold by the supplier TOPAS ADVANCED POLYMERS is a material that issuitable for the present invention.

Other materials can also be envisaged for alloying with the COCelastomer, e.g. thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU). In avariant, it is possible to use an olefin-based thermoplastic polyesterelastomer (TPE) material, e.g. a mixture of polypropylene (PP) andstyrene-block copolymer (SBC); poly(ethylene octene) (PEO);poly(ethylene butene) (PEB); ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA); a mixture of PPand ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). Other possible materialsinclude: polyolefin; polybutylene terephthalate (PBT); polyoxymethylene(POM); polyamide (PA); polycarbonate (PC); polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA); polyvinyl chloride (PVC); acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS);PP; polyethylene (PE); and alloys of all of these materials. Otherpossible materials include: thermoplastics alloys (nitrile butadienerubber (NBR)/PP, butyl/PP, halobutyl/PP, hydrogenated nitrile butadienerubber (HNBR)/PE); thermoplastic elastomers prepared by dynamicvulcanization; thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (polyether block amide(PEBA), polyesteramide (PEA), polyetheresteramide (PEEA),polycarbonate-esteramide (PCEA)); thermoplastic polyether esterelastomers; styrene-block copolymers (styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS),styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS), styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene(SEBS), styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene (SEPS),styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene (SEEPS),styrene-isoprene-butadiene-styrene (SIBS)); and mixtures of thesematerials.

Although the present invention is described above with reference to anembodiment thereof, as shown in the drawings, the invention is naturallynot limited to that variant, but, on the contrary, any usefulmodifications could be applied thereto by the person skilled in the art.In particular, the valve could be of any structure. In addition, theshapes of the valve body and of the openings could be different from theshapes shown. The same applies to the reservoir, and in particular toits neck, and to the fastener hoop or capsule that could be madedifferently, e.g. by snap-fastening or screw-fastening. In general, anymodification is possible without going beyond the ambit of the presentinvention as defined by the accompanying claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A dispenser, comprising: a ring arrangedaround a valve body of a fluid dispenser valve that is mounted by afastener capsule on a reservoir, said reservoir containing a dispensablefluid and hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellant gas, said ring is made as asingle piece including at least one inner portion that co-operates withsaid valve body, and a radial flange that forms a neck gasket thatextends between the neck of the reservoir and the fastener capsule, saidring being made of a material that includes cyclo olefin copolymerelastomer (COC elastomer).
 2. The dispenser according to claim 1,including a first radially-inner portion that co-operates with a portionof the valve body, and a second inner portion that co-operates withanother portion of the valve body.
 3. The dispenser according to claim2, wherein said first radially-inner portion has a deformable lip. 4.The dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the contact surface of thelip with the valve body has a shape that is stepped.
 5. The dispenseraccording to claim 3, wherein said lip includes a peripheral recess,wherein said peripheral recess is configured to allow said lip todeform.
 6. The dispenser according to claim 1, including a deformableaxial wall that extends towards the bottom of the reservoir, whereinsaid deformable axial wall is configured to deform elastically in aradially-inward direction.
 7. The dispenser according to claim 6,wherein the outer surface of the deformable axial wall is substantiallysmooth before fastening the fastener capsule.
 8. The dispenser accordingto claim 1, including, below said neck-gasket-forming radial flange,projecting profiles that are distributed around the outer periphery ofsaid ring, said projecting profiles being separated by grooves.
 9. Thedispenser according to claim 1, wherein said ring is formed as aone-piece integral construction of COC elastomer.
 10. The dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein COC elastomer is a copolymer elastomerhaving a glass transition temperature lying in the range −10° C. to 15°C., a crystalline melting point lying in the range 50° C. to 120° C., acrystallinity by weight lying in the range 5% to 40%, and a norbornenecontent lying in the range 2 mol % to 15 mol %.
 11. The dispenseraccording to claim 1, comprising an aerosol valve.
 12. The dispenseraccording to claim 11, wherein said valve body includes at least oneopening configured to enable fluid to pass from the reservoir into saidvalve body, said first radially-inner portion being situated at thebottom edge of said opening, in the inverted working position, with thevalve arranged below said reservoir relative to a direction ofgravitational force.
 13. The dispenser according to claim 1, including aplurality of projecting profiles distributed around the outer peripheryof the ring.
 14. The dispenser according to claim 13, wherein theprojecting profiles are separated by a plurality of grooves configuredto allow the dispensable fluid or HFA propellant gas to escape duringinsertion of the ring into the reservoir.
 15. The dispenser according toclaim 1, including a plurality of axial recesses that extend around theperiphery of the ring.
 16. The dispenser according to claim 15, whereinthe plurality of axial recesses are separated by a plurality of radialstiffening ribs.
 17. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein thefastener capsule is a crimpable capsule.
 18. A dispenser, comprising: aring arranged around a valve body of a fluid dispenser valve that ismounted by a fastener capsule on a reservoir, said reservoir containinga dispensable fluid and hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellant gas, saidring is made as a single piece including at least one inner portion thatco-operates with said valve body, and a radial flange that forms a neckgasket that extends between the neck of the reservoir and the fastenercapsule, said ring being made of a material that includes cyclo olefincopolymer elastomer (COC elastomer); wherein the COC elastomer is anelastomeric material of cyclo olefin copolymer with an increasedpolyethylene content and not a mixture or an alloy of conventional COCwith an elastomer material; and wherein the COC elastomer has a glasstransition temperature in the range of −10° C. to 15° C., a crystallinemelting point lying in the range of 50° C. to 120° C., a crystallinityby weight lying in the range 5% to 40%, and a norbornene content lyingin the range 2 mol % to 15 mol %.